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portion size


Emrondeau77

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I think this life style change is great! I am a huge fan of Paleo and the foods that go along with it, but I believe the biggest problem with the diet is that they don't mention portion sizes. I am 6'2 240 lbs. I know that I should not be eating the same size portions as a male that is 5'10 160, looking for the same goals. I believe my biggest problem is how much I eat and not what I eat. I think there needs to be more discussion or helpfull tips with this, so with that being said if anyone has any ideas, or helpfull tips, I am all ears. I wish I could eat all the salmon and veggies I can in one sitting, but I know I would probably be defeating the purpose of cutting weight.

I appreciate all tips.

Eric Rondeau

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Hello Eric,

The Whole30 is different from the generic Paleo diet and it does cover and focus on portion sizes. If you haven't already, I suggest you read,"It Starts with Food". In the last chapters there is advice on completing the Whole30 and info on how to plan and portion meals.

For a quick walk through check out this link: http://whole9life.com/itstartswithfood/. (Scroll down near the printable guide and check out the Meal Planning guide, it should cover just what you're looking for)

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You may see references to the Whole9/Whole30 meal planning template. Here it is in brief.

Eat at least three meals per day. The base of your meal should be a serving of protein the size of the palm of your hand. If you are eating eggs, eat as many eggs as you can hold in one hand. Bigger people get bigger portions. Smaller people get smaller portions. Fill the rest of your plate with veggies. When cooking your veggies, use a measure of fat as big as the thumb of your hand.

If you are hungry, you can eat up to two palm-size portions of protein. Though not frequently mentioned, you can increase the amount of fat in your meal if you remain hungry, maybe use two thumb size portions of fat in cooking. If you are very active, you need to eat carbs in the form of root vegetables like sweet potato, winter squash, beets, rutabagas, etc.

Some people need to eat more than 3 meals per day. You can eat 4 or even 5 meals per day to keep hunger down. The idea is to start with 3 meals per day and then adjust as necessary. I ate 5 to 6 meals per day for the first year I ate the Whole30 way, but eventually worked down to 3 meals per day.

I lost 2 pounds per month for 15 months when I started eating this way. I was never hungry and ate lots. My starting weight was about 215, so I went down to 185. I am 6'2" and was 230-240 a few years before I started my first Whole30. I managed to lose 20 pounds from doing CrossFit over a 2 year period and went to the Whole30 because exercise was not making my fat go away after the first year.

By the way, I started lifting heavier weights and am now about 195 pounds. I have not measured body fat in several years, but my arms, shoulders, and back are thicker, not my belly. This stuff really works.

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I think portion sizes do matter. I know that I'm going to be paying closer attention to it by using my palm to approximate my protein intake, and fill up on veggies for the rest. I'm also going to be watching my fruit intake carefully because the bottom line is that I like sugar and although I have been doing great so far eating this way (I'm on day 5) I know that I'm not going to lose any weight or develop better habits if I rely on fruit as a snack. What can I say, I love fruit! I can eat an entire pomegranete all by myself and tell myself that it's healthy to eat because of the antioxidants ect. and it's not a dessert! However, it will hinder my progress and I need to be grown up about it and control it. So there it goes. I'm going to do better because I know better! Portion control will be my focus this next week. After all, like Tom mentioned above, smaller people need smaller portions. I'm only 5 ft. 1 " tall and weigh 150, my weight gain is a result of sugar! I weighed 135 in the spring of 2012. I gained weight while vacationing and not having portion control! Time to stop! My frame doesn't require a lot of food so I need to eat to nourish my body. Wishing everyone the best in portion control and with meeting their goals :)

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Is it a palm-sized amount of cooked protein? Or raw?

Palm-sized on your plate, so cooked.

When you say a thumb size amount of fat, do you mean a thumb print or the entire thumb?

A measure of cooking fat as big as your whole thumb. For me that is between 1 and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or ghee.

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The beautiful part of this program is that after a few weeks of leaving out "Las Vegas Strip in your mouth" foods, your hormones will regulate and you won't have to THINK about portion control. Your brain will send the right signals to stop eating at the right time. :)

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The beautiful part of this program is that after a few weeks of leaving out "Las Vegas Strip in your mouth" foods, your hormones will regulate and you won't have to THINK about portion control. Your brain will send the right signals to stop eating at the right time. :)

Agreed. I usually use a Whole 30 to get back on track with paleo eating after I've gotten way off track (like now after 2 months of Holiday eating). I've come to trust that by eliminating the grains/sugar/etc it only takes a week or two for my portion sizes to decrease to a reasonable size and I'm much better at identifying when I'm hungry and when I've had enough.

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Does avocado with a meal count as the thumb of fat? Is it ok to eat a whole avocado in a day's worth of meals (half at breakfast, half at lunch) or is that too much fat?

For example, I love the Cocoa Chili from Well Fed. If I have for lunch:

(2 cups) of chili

half an avocado

salad with 1 TBSP of Well-Fed Creamy Italian

am I getting to much fat for that meal? Seems like it.

thanks in advance!

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